Your 5 fave birth books?

[SamanthaP]

1. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
2. Spiritual midwifery - I constantly flick back through it.
3. Active Birth - Janet Balaskas
4. The Midwife's Companion - Andrea Robertson. Very practical.
5. Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering - Sarah Buckley.
I like Capers but I also like ACE Graphics and have bought most of my books through there.

[doulacara]

I just saw this thread and it's right up my alley, but I don't think there's anything I can add!

1. Birth Your Way - and I agree anything from Sheila is worth it!
2. Thinking Womans Guide to a Better Birth - Henci Goer - you'll never look at hospitals the same way
3. Spiritual Midwifery - Ina May Gaskin - just so 'psychedelic'
4. Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering - Sarah Buckley - the hormone articles really appeal to me and have changed how I think about birth in some ways
and I'll add
5. The Birth Partner - Penny Simkin - my DH thinks this is the best book for Dads as it sets everything out in a way that he could understand and wishes he had read it before our first. (Bless x)

C

[dusty]

Thought I'd this good thread.

I'm still working my way through books but so far have found the following useful & inspiring.

1. Creating Your Birth Plan - Marsden Wagner DH & my favourite book to explain the physiological side of labour & birth & uses excellent info to provide info on how intervention & choices can affect outcomes, based on excellent empirical evidence. He is very pro woman centred birth.

2. 25 ways to awaken your birth power - Watson & Hyles
using visualization, affirmations, breathing exercises & relaxation along with CD is a lovely daily practice book with simple & uplifting messages & images to focus on preparation for birth & use in birth. Produced by 2 women in country NSW both are mums one's a doula the other an artist. Gorgeous pictures to focus on.

3. Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin, currently reading this & really getting a lot out of it especially after reading Wagner's book as this takes a similar but more spiritual/emotional approach to natural childbirth.
4. New Active Birth (thanks Suze) I like the yoga practices & it was a good introduction to the benefits of an active birth.

Still reading books & am looking forward to Calm Birth course/reading.

Anyone think it's worth getting the Pink Kit ontop of all this reading?

[HotI]

1. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin
2. Spiritual midwifery - Ina May Gaskin
3. Active Birth - Janet Balaskas
4. Thinking Womans Guide to a Better Birth - Henci Goer
5. The Business of Being Born (A DVD but highly highly recommended watching- Great for partners/family/friends and non-readers)

[MummyTummy]

Thought I would add another book in to the mix that I happened to see at the library - so glad I did!! It is called 'A Labour of Love: An Australian Guide to Natural Childbirth' by Gabrielle Targett. Really easy to read too!! Especially the bit about the placenta and eating it - somehow doesn't seem so gross now!!

But it is definitely a good introduction to natural childbirth and also Doulas and their services, so much easier to dive in to then say "Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering" for example. And what I like even better, is that it is written by an Australian, for pregnant women here in Australia. If you can get hold of it, definitely a worthwhile read IMO.